That Starmer fella...

ULEZ expansion.

ah nice 👌 I think she lived near me and cycled around here/to work etc so hopefully 'one of us'

I'm curious about someone who worked for an insurance company, and formerly the police, trying to defraud their employer. How poor does your judgement have to be?

Yeah, she lives, or lived, in Catford. She also used to commute by bike.

I’ve spent much of the last two years avoiding the rush hour crush on Southeastern trains, preferring a cycle ride to City Hall.

From here.

This is a non story. From my understanding it was a work phone she assumed had been taken in a mugging, but then she found in the house some time later turned on and got investigated after her employer saw it ping. Crap solicitor gave crap advice to plead guilty for whatever reason.

Yes, another one of those non stories that a cabinet minister has had to resign over.

The Times story states that Aviva held an internal investigation over multiple phones claimed to be lost or stolen, which Haigh has not disputed.

Who among us hasn't been investigated by our employers for fraud, resulting in a criminal conviction?

How would she benefit from claiming insurance for theft of a work phone?

This is such a pathetic drain of political energy. Labour forcing her to jump is daft and yes, I actually do think there are many people who could attest to being victims of corporate internal witch hunts.

Personally no, I don't think she tried to defraud her employer. Yes, I think that she's a victim of circumstance and her own poor judgement.

This has been politics for time immemorial.

Fall on your sword over stupid press story. Rehabilitate your profile and come back in the next round of cabinet shuffles.

All getting a bit squeaky bum for Rachel from complaints..

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-11-30/reeves-risks-fiscal-rule-breach-bond-market-test-in-spring

Is there non-paywall link?

The Louise Haigh thing shows how ruthless Starmer can be, sack her instantly using the vote on Assisted Dying as very good cover. Hardly any reporting on the loss of a Cabnet Minster because all the attention was on the vote.

I like this in a leader, shows real strength and leadership IMO. Compare to Sunak, who would be lets have an enquiry, it rumbles on for 3 weeks then gets rid of them looking very weak. Starmer has put down a marker here.

What's the point of being ruthless if you're doing fuck all with your power other than being ruthless?

I'm getting increasingly worried about Labour's ability to achieve anything. They seem stuck in some sort of electioneering holding pattern, terrified to do anything that may (to mix metaphors) rock the boat. Unless that is their aim.

Compare to Sunak, who would be lets have an enquiry, it rumbles on for 3 weeks then gets rid of them looking very weak.

Or Johnson who would have refused to sack her and babbled on about minor indiscretions.

Starmer is rebooting again. Apparently we're getting some milestones to go with the missions and first steps that we already got given. Exciting times.

He's nearly ran out of walking metaphors. Maybe he needs to hop, skip, and jump toward something else this time.

Pop a note in a cairn for progressive policies, or something.

It's not gone well. Time to stop repeating "black hole" hopefully.

Clipped from the grauiniad (strike!)..
Just a quick summary. Starmer listed his six milestones after saying that a “strong foundation” of economic stability, and security measures had now allowed Labour to look ahead.
The first milestone to reach by the end of the parliament is “higher living standards in every region of the country”. Starmer added the UK was aiming for the “highest sustained growth in the G7, so working people have more money in their pocket”.
The second is to build 1.5 million new homes, and the third to put “more police on the beat, stamping out anti-social behaviour in every community”.
Starmer’s fourth milestone is to give every child the “best start in life” with a record number of five-year-olds entering school “ready to learn”.
His fifth milestone is clean power by 2030, “so never again can a tyrant like Putin attack the living standards of working people”.
And his sixth and final milestone was to cut NHS waiting lists to 18 weeks between referral and treatment.

No wonder Rachel from complaints has booted the medium term spending review into next year.

Just fucking deliver something.

Ideally some(thing) obvious that people wanted

Edit in brackets

Just concepts isn't it? Government by fucking PowerPoint

I’m amazed people expect over a decade of mismanagement, poorly thought out projects, reactive not proactive policy making and self interest pocket lining to suddenly be fixed overnight.

No indeed, why not have another fucking press conference and a new reset instead?

I don't expect everything to be fixed overnight but I couldn't point to a single concrete positive outcome so far. Are we past the judge us in 100 days yet?

Takes me ages to do anything nowadays

Why does he keep rewriting the strategy? First we had the five missions. Then Labour's first steps. Now the six pledges. None of which are consistent. It is a shambles. Unfortunately our governing class have forgotten you actually need to do something after you have made the speech and issued the press release.

For example, have they cracked down on anti-social behaviour? Have they smashed the gangs? Have they recruited the extra 6.5k new teachers? Which was always a nonsense pledge, as it never defined time frame, whether this was net of teachers leaving the profession, etc.